U.S. patent application number 14/995725 was filed with the patent office on 2016-05-12 for vehicle body having two adhesively bonded body components.
The applicant listed for this patent is Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft. Invention is credited to Andreas BEIL, Martin EIS, Torsten FLEISCHER, Juergen LENZ, Lorenz SCHMID, Thomas SCHNAUFER.
Application Number | 20160129948 14/995725 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51210473 |
Filed Date | 2016-05-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160129948 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SCHNAUFER; Thomas ; et
al. |
May 12, 2016 |
Vehicle Body Having Two Adhesively Bonded Body Components
Abstract
A vehicle body includes a first body component made of
fiber-reinforced plastic and a second body component made of
fiber-reinforced plastic. The body components are adhesively bonded
to each other by an adhesive layer and are subjected to shearing
load and/or tensile stress in a main stress plane, wherein the
adhesive layer is shaped by way of an adhesive flange, on which the
adhesive layer is oriented obliquely to the main loading plane at
an angle between 30.degree. and 60.degree..
Inventors: |
SCHNAUFER; Thomas;
(Oberhausen, DE) ; BEIL; Andreas; (Muenchen,
DE) ; LENZ; Juergen; (Fahrenzhausen, DE) ;
SCHMID; Lorenz; (Wessling, DE) ; EIS; Martin;
(Karlsfeld, DE) ; FLEISCHER; Torsten; (Muenchen,
DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft |
Muenchen |
|
DE |
|
|
Family ID: |
51210473 |
Appl. No.: |
14/995725 |
Filed: |
January 14, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
PCT/EP2014/065083 |
Jul 15, 2014 |
|
|
|
14995725 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
296/203.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62D 29/043 20130101;
B62D 25/02 20130101; B62D 25/04 20130101; B62D 25/025 20130101;
B62D 27/026 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B62D 27/02 20060101
B62D027/02; B62D 29/04 20060101 B62D029/04; B62D 25/04 20060101
B62D025/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 29, 2013 |
DE |
10 2013 214 782.1 |
Claims
1. A vehicle body, comprising: a first body component of
fiber-reinforced plastic; a second body component of
fiber-reinforced plastic; an adhesive layer bonding the first and
second body components to one another, wherein the first and second
body components are subjected to shear stress and/or tensile stress
in a main stress plane, and the adhesive layer is shaped via an
adhesive flange, on which adhesive flange the adhesive layer is
oriented obliquely relative to the main stress plane at an angle of
between 30.degree. and 60.degree..
2. The vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive
layer is oriented obliquely relative to the main stress plane at an
angle of between 40.degree. and 50.degree..
3. The vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive
layer is oriented obliquely relative to the main stress plane at an
angle of approximately 45.degree..
4. The vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein the first and
second body components form an A-pillar of a passenger cabin.
5. The vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein the first body
component forms a side frame of a passenger cabin, and the second
body component forms an annular frame lower part of the passenger
cabin.
6. The vehicle body according to claim 1, further comprising: a
third body component, wherein an adhesive layer of the third body
component in relation to the first or second body components is
arranged to superimpose on the adhesive layer between the first and
second body components.
7. The vehicle body according to claim 6, wherein the third body
component is formed of fiber-reinforced plastic.
8. The vehicle body according to claim 6, wherein the first and
second body components form a side frame of a passenger cabin, and
the third body component forms a bulkhead of the passenger
cabin.
9. The vehicle body according to claim 7, wherein the first and
second body components form a side frame of a passenger cabin, and
the third body component forms a bulkhead of the passenger
cabin.
10. The vehicle body according to claim 1, further comprising
another adhesive layer adhesively bonding the first and second body
components to one another, wherein the other adhesive layer is
shaped by a curved adhesive flange.
11. A vehicle body, comprising: a first body component formed of
fiber-reinforced plastic; a second body component formed of
fiber-reinforced plastic; an adhesive layer configured to
adhesively bond the first and second body components to one
another, the first and second body components being subjected to
shear stress and/or tensile stress in a main stress plane, wherein
the adhesive layer is shaped by a curved adhesive flange.
12. The vehicle body according to claim 11, further comprising: a
third body component, wherein the third body component is
adhesively bonded to at least one of the first and second body
components via a further adhesive layer, the further adhesive layer
being shaped by an adhesive flange, on which adhesive flange the
further adhesive layer is oriented obliquely relative to the main
stress plane at an angle between 30.degree. and 60.degree..
13. The vehicle body according to claim 10, wherein the first body
component forms a sill reinforcement of a passenger cabin, and the
second body component forms a side frame of the passenger
cabin.
14. The vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive
layer has a thickness of 1.4 mm to 1.6 mm.
15. The vehicle body according to claim 11, wherein the adhesive
layer has a thickness of 1.4 mm to 1.6 mm.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of PCT International
Application No. PCT/EP2014/065083, filed Jul. 15, 2014, which
claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 from German Patent
Application No. 10 2013 214 782.1, filed Jul. 29, 2013, the entire
disclosures of which are herein expressly incorporated by
reference.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a vehicle body having a first body
component of fiber-reinforced plastic, and a second body component
of fiber-reinforced plastic, which are adhesively bonded to one
another by way of an adhesive layer and are subjected to shear
stress and/or tensile stress in a main stress plane.
[0003] In vehicle bodies of modern vehicles, the body components
are designed from fiber-reinforced plastic. Such body components
are comparatively thin-walled and, correspondingly, have low
rigidity and stability. It is correspondingly problematic for such
body components to be connected so as to form a vehicle body which
is stable or rigid, respectively, on the one hand, yet selectively
resilient, on the other hand. It is known in principle here for the
body components to be interconnected on adhesive faces by use of
adhesive layers.
[0004] According to the invention, a vehicle body has a first body
component of fiber-reinforced plastic, and a second body component
of fiber-reinforced plastic, which are adhesively bonded to one
another by way of an adhesive layer and, in a main stress plane,
are shear-stressed and/or tensile-stressed. The adhesive layer is
shaped by way of an adhesive flange. On the adhesive flange, the
adhesive layer is obliquely oriented to the main stress plane at an
angle between 30.degree. and 60.degree.. Particularly preferably,
the adhesive layer according to the invention is obliquely oriented
to the main stress plane at an angle between 40.degree. and
50.degree., in particular at an angle of 45.degree..
[0005] Using the adhesive layer designed according to the
invention, which on an associated adhesive flange is placed
obliquely to the main stress plane in a targeted manner, joining in
a shearing manner is avoided at the connection point of the two
interconnected body components. At the same time, tensile head
loads are also avoided, stress instead being introduced into the
adhesive layer purely by shearing. Such an adhesive connection has
a long life span and also high strength. The adhesive connection
may also assume a sealing function. To this end it is particularly
advantageous for the adhesive connection according to the invention
to be designed as a structured adhesive connection, that is to say
as an adhesive connection having a specially structured design of
the adhesive faces, so as to include a sealing function. According
to the invention, no second connection technique, such as screwing
or riveting, and also no additional sealing process, is
correspondingly required.
[0006] The body components according to the invention are
preferably designed using plastics as a matrix, to which end both
duroplastic as well as thermoplastic polymers may be employed. The
comparatively cost-effective polyester resins, vinyl ester resins,
and epoxy resins are used as duroplastic matrix systems.
Thermoplastic fiber-composite materials may also be manufactured.
In this case, mainly polyamides, polypropylenes, and polyethylenes
are employed as matrix systems. Reinforcement materials or
reinforcement fibers, respectively, are embedded in plastics of
this type. According to the invention, mainly synthetic fibers from
glass, carbon, and aramid, which are used as rovings, cross-laid
structures, fabrics, or non-wovens, are used as a reinforcement
material. In this way, the properties of the particularly
shell-shaped body components may be varied in a wide range, both in
an absolute manner as well as in a relative manner between the
longitudinal and transverse direction of the body components.
[0007] As an adhesive method, according to the invention, an
activator is preferably applied onto the body components prior to
joining. The activator greatly accelerates the chemical reaction of
the associated adhesive on the contact faces with the body
components. Furthermore, adhesive is applied only to one body
component, while the other body component is intensively heated.
During subsequent joining of the body components a transition
temperature, which is significantly above room temperature, is
established. This temperature, in collaboration with the activator,
leads to a very rapid reaction of the adhesive on the contact
faces, such that the adhesive on the contact faces after a few
seconds of holding time at this transition temperature builds up
sufficient strength to prevent air from entering into the adhesive
during subsequent increase of the temperature for curing the
adhesive.
[0008] An A-pillar of a passenger cabin is preferably designed
using the first and second body components of this type according
to the invention. Such an A-pillar in terms of the main loading
plane thereof, during normal operation of the vehicle, is stressed
in the vertical direction and, in the event of a side impact, is
stressed in the horizontal direction. The A-pillar thus has two
main stress planes, one vertical stress plane and one horizontal
stress plane.
[0009] Furthermore, on the vehicle body according to the invention,
a side frame of a passenger cabin is advantageously designed using
the first body component, and an annular-frame lower part of the
passenger cabin is advantageously designed using the second body
component. In the case of these two body components, again a
vertical stress plane for the usual supporting stress and a
horizontal stress plane for a side impact result as main stress
planes.
[0010] According to the invention, furthermore, a third body
component is preferably provided on the vehicle body, the adhesive
layer of the third body component in relation to the first or
second body component superimposing the adhesive layer between the
first and the second body component. By way of this adhesive-layer
arrangement, two adhesive layers are thus located on top of one
another in a superimposing manner, a body component being located
between the adhesive layers. The further two body components bear
on the two outer sides of these adhesive layers. The body
components here may only partially superimpose one another in the
manner of roof tiles. Nevertheless, a "central" adhesive region,
which acts as a connection hub for the body components, is
established. Using the adhesive layers designed according to the
invention, great rigidity can be achieved and, at the same time,
particularly advantageous balancing of tensions during thermal
expansion of the participating body components is enabled at this
connection hub.
[0011] According to the invention, a side frame of a passenger
cabin is preferably designed using the first and second body
components, and a bulkhead or front end wall of the passenger cabin
is preferably designed using the third body component. The side
frame and the bulkhead are thus advantageously linked at this
connection hub.
[0012] The invention is furthermore directed toward a vehicle body,
in particular of the abovementioned type, having a first body
component of fiber-reinforced plastic, and a second body component
of fiber-reinforced plastic, which are adhesively bonded to one
another by an adhesive layer and, in a main stress plane, are
shear-stressed and/or tensile-stressed, wherein the adhesive layer
is shaped by way of a curved adhesive flange. The adhesive layer of
this type is selectively domed or is configured into a dome of the
participating body components, respectively. Joining in a shearing
manner and tensile head loads may also be avoided and introduction
of load by shearing may be achieved using the design embodiment of
this type. Furthermore, such an adhesive bond is advantageous in
terms of an envisaged sealing function.
[0013] Attachment of a sill of a passenger cabin to a side frame is
advantageously designed using the adhesive flange construction of
this type, wherein a sill reinforcement of a passenger cabin is
designed using the first body component, and a side frame of the
passenger cabin is designed using the second body component.
[0014] Finally, the invention is also directed toward a vehicle
body, in particular of the abovementioned type, having a first body
component of fiber-reinforced plastic, and a second body component
of fiber-reinforced plastic, which are adhesively bonded to one
another by an adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer is
particularly selectively designed to have a thickness of 1.4 mm to
1.6 mm. By way of an adhesive layer of this type, in particular in
combination with the adhesive method explained above, a
particularly advantageous balancing of tolerances of the
participating body components within the adhesive layer is enabled.
Furthermore, no second connection technique, such as screwing or
riveting, and no additional sealing process, is required in this
case.
[0015] Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded illustration of part of a
vehicle body according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a side view in a direction of arrow II according
to FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a cross section view taken along line III-III in
FIG. 2;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a cross section view taken along line IV-IV in
FIG. 2; and
[0020] FIG. 5 is a cross section view taken alone line V-V in FIG.
2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] A vehicle body 10 of a passenger motor vehicle has a side
wall or a side frame 12, respectively, as a substantial part of the
passenger cabin of the passenger motor vehicle. The side frame 12
laterally on the vehicle body 10 forms an annular shape by way of
which vehicle passengers inside the passenger cabin are
particularly protected in the event of frontal impact as well as
side impact to the vehicle body 10. The side frame 12, in terms of
the associated vehicle, includes a lower sill or a sill region 14,
respectively, a front bulkhead or a bulkhead region 16,
respectively, a front A-pillar or an A-pillar region 18, and an
upper roof rail or a roof-rail region 20, respectively, as body
components.
[0022] The side frame 12 is formed by an inside side-frame shell 22
and an outside side-frame shell 24, which are in each case
manufactured as thin-walled body components in a structured shell
shape from fiber-reinforced plastics.
[0023] The two side-frame shells 22 and 24 are adhesively bonded to
one another on strip-shaped adhesive flanges 26 which, in
particular, run along peripheries of the side-frame shells 22 and
24 and are likewise thin-walled. It is depicted in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5
that these adhesive flanges 26 have, in each case, an adhesive
layer 28 having a thickness of 1.5 mm, with a thickness tolerance
of .+-.0.1 mm, between the two body components which are adhesively
bonded there.
[0024] Furthermore, in relation to a horizontal main stress plane
30 as well as to a vertical main stress plane 32 of the respective
adhesive point, these adhesive flanges 26 are obliquely arranged at
an angle of approx. 45.degree..
[0025] It is further depicted in FIG. 3 that a likewise
shell-shaped sill reinforcement 36 made of fiber-reinforced
plastic, which is adhesively bonded by way of a curved adhesive
flange 38 and an adhesive layer 28 (which is disposed in the curve
of said adhesive flange 38 and likewise has a thickness of
1.5.+-.0.1 mm), is provided on the inner side of the inside
side-frame shell 22, at the lower sill region 14 thereof.
[0026] By way of FIG. 4 it is furthermore depicted how a rod-shaped
A-pillar reinforcement 40, which is likewise made from
fiber-reinforced plastic is held in the A-pillar region 18 between
the adhesive flanges 26 in the interior of the two side-frame
shells 22 and 24 are obliquely placed to the main stress planes 30
and 32.
[0027] Finally, it may be seen in FIG. 5, in the left region
thereof, how a bulkhead shell 42, which in the associated vehicle
extends substantially in the transverse direction of the latter as
a lower front bulkhead or end wall of the passenger cabin,
respectively, on the lateral peripheral region thereof is
adhesively bonded to the side frame 12 which is formed from the
inside side-frame shell 22 and the outside side-frame shell 24 by
means of a likewise obliquely placed adhesive layer 28. The
adhesive layer 28 for the bulkhead shell 42 here is at least partly
superimposed over the adhesive layer 28, as is also the case with
roof tiles. In this way, a connection hub of the associated
bulkhead to the side frame 12, which is constructed from adhesive
layers 28 which are layered on top of one another, is achieved.
LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS
[0028] 10 Vehicle body
[0029] 12 Side frame
[0030] 14 Sill region
[0031] 16 Bulkhead region
[0032] 18 A-pillar region
[0033] 20 Roof-rail region
[0034] 22 Inside side-frame shell
[0035] 24 Outside side-frame shell
[0036] 26 Obliquely oriented adhesive flange
[0037] 28 Adhesive layer
[0038] 30 Horizontal main stress plane
[0039] 32 Vertical main stress plane
[0040] 36 Sill reinforcement
[0041] 38 Curved adhesive flange
[0042] 40 A-pillar reinforcement
[0043] 42 Bulkhead shell
[0044] The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to
illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since
modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit
and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the
art, the invention should be construed to include everything within
the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
* * * * *